Sushi Go!

Sushi Go! is a card game with a Japanese cuisine theme by Gamewright. Each player gets dealt a hand of cards, depending on the numbers of players. Players choose one card to play, face down, and then players reveal simultaneously. Then the players pass their hand to the player on their hand. This mechanic is called card drafting and is the main mechanic of the whole game. Play continues until there are no more cards to play. Then points are scored (sans pudding) and a new round begins. Game takes place over 3 rounds, player with the most points at the end, wins.

Sushi Go! is a light, cute card game that introduces the card drafting mechanic. Players will enjoy the goofy artwork on each card especially if they like Japanese food! What shines about Sushi Go! is the easy set up and explanation. It’s a perfect gateway game into the card drafting mechanic, especially into a game like 7 Wonders.

The strategies may be light, but nonetheless, sometimes subtle. In a 2-3 player game, players can memorize the cards and play them optimally. For example, if there are 3 tempura cards (tempuras score 5 pts for every 2 you have) in a hand, a player can play the chopsticks card, which allows them to play two cards on a future turn. The chopstick card does go back in hand (as it swap for 2 cards). The player can then play two Tempura cards at once, ensuring those 5 points. The chopsticks card really adds to the game, and helps the players to “burn” cards as it were to prevent other players from optimizing points. It has much of the same strategies of 7 Wonders, just on a lighter scale.

2 Player Experience

Two player for Sushi Go! works surprisingly well. Players can employ the normal card drafting mechanic with just each other. There is also a two player variant available, in which players simulate a 3rd player (very similar to 2P in 7 Wonders). We personally like the normal gameplay over the variant. It is much easier to count cards in 2 player, so the strategy is more straightforward. However, Sushi Go improve with more players.

4 Player Experience

Four player Sushi Go! is very enjoyable. The strategy is less obvious, as players have limited knowledge to what cards the other players have, especially at the beginning of the game. It’s also worth noting that in 3+ players, the player with the least amount of puddings at the end of the game gets -6 points. This can be the difference between winning and losing, so players must pay attention to the puddings, even early in the game. The chopsticks can be highly effective as well, because once a player gets a good hand, they can utilize the chopsticks to provide maximum points. Four players provide the right amount of strategy and fun.